When can iPAQ my PC and cell phone away?
by Nicki Hayes, July 16, 2001
PC XPO is one of the world’s largest PC trade shows and this year’s big theme was
handheld devices, confirming that the future of the PC is in the hand and not solely on
the desktop. The star of the show was Compaq’s iPAQ range of PDAs. Nicki Hayes,
WDN’s European correspondent, looks at why the iPAQ is proving a serious
competitor to PalmOS based devices, reports on the range of new add-ons which could
change the way corporate users work and asks, “When will I be able to pack my PC
and phone away for good?”
A recent slowdown in desktop and server PC sales has been mirrored by a growth in the
sales of handheld computers, so it was of little surprise then that the theme of this year’s
PC XPO show was handheld devices. But to those of us who have been reasonably
content with our Palm OS devices and have done little to keep up to date with new
handheld contenders, the presence of Compaq’s range of iPAQ devices might have been
a bit of a surprise.
Indeed, PalmOS devices have done a brilliant job in commanding the dominant share of
the PDA market. In fact the Palm brand almost looked set to join that of Hoover in the
hall of brand fame. That was until WinCE based competitors stopped trying to compete
directly against Palm OS devices’ strengths-ease-of-use and sleek form factor- and
started trying to differentiate their offering by delivering increased functionality. And boy
has Compaq succeeded!
Anyone who saw Compaq’s iPAQ range would have witnessed the PDA’s evolution into
a phone/navigation device/point of sale device/bar code scanner and general short-range
wireless transmission device. With an array of add-ons to its iPAQ Pocket PC-including
a PC card phone jacket, a GPRS jacket, a fold-away keyboard, a hand writing recognition
tool and a VGA adapter allowing access to a projector-Compaq has certainly been
thinking about how to add value to corporate users.
So, at last, the market has seen evidence that the PDA is more than just a glorified diary
and address book. But, to reach critical mass it has to be more than just a cool gadget too.
In the consumer world this is likely to be achieved if the PDA can either be turned into a
general communication device (transmitting wireless e-mail, sms and voice calls) or an
entertainment device (games-console, music system, tv/video console). But in the
corporate world critical mass is unlikely to be met until it is truly possible to replace a
laptop/notebook PC and cell phone with a handheld device.
But what would such a device have to deliver to allow this?
Well, most corporate users need their laptops to access email, browse the web, access file
and print servers and use personal productivity applications (word processor, presentation
tools, spreadsheets and contact management tools for example). So any notebook
replacement would, as a base minimum, have to allow this functionality. Additionally
corporate users access company specific applications such as ERP and CRM solutions.
Interestingly, most WinCE devices, including Compaq’s iPAQ and Casio’s Cassiopieia,
are almost there. They come with Pocket Word, Pocket Outlook, Pocket Excel and
Pocket Explorer as standard, and their manufacturers have both entered partnerships with
web-based ERP and CRM vendors such as eWare, Siebel, Abaco, ASP First, CSA
Solutions and Cap Gemini. However, no PDA, according to my research, comes
complete with a spreadsheet or presentation application, although third party applications
are available providing the ability to read and edit PowerPoint and Excel files from some
PDAs.
Even so, this still is not enough to allow corporate users to ditch their cell phone and PC.
To do so would require a number of other ‘extras’, such as disk-space, richer user
interfaces and peripheral devices, direct internet or wireless LAN access and the ability to
easily and comfortably make voice calls.
So, let’s look at the first of these-disk space. Sure enough, the newer model PDAs, such
as Palm m505, Handspring, iPAQ and Cassiopieia, all have expansion slots into which
you can fit cards that, in some cases, give you up to a gigabyte of memory. That’s enough
for most average users and, if it isn’t, you can buy a number of these cards and divide up
your files between them - not ideal but good enough.
Another important ‘extra’ is the delivery of the same richness in terms of user interface
and peripheral devices (mouse, keyboard, large monitor, etc) that a desktop or notebook
offers. While devices like the iPAQ Pocket PC promise the ability to plug-in such
accessories to the flashcard slot, there is only one slot and therefore you can only access
one ‘extra’ at a time. What is needed is a clever docking station that does more than
simply provide serial port or USB connections to PCs for synchronization and refueling.
To become a realistic replacement to the traditional PC, the PDA docking station must
offer a VGA port to connect to a monitor plus additional ports to external keyboard,
mouse and network connection point.
Such a docking station would provide the extras required allowing you to work from your
desktop, but what if you wanted to work remotely? This is where the availability of
Wireless LANs may become important. PDAs are only ever likely to replace desktop
machines if they either provide direct internet or wireless LAN access. As more and more
offices implement wireless LANs, the chance of the PDA replacing the PC increases.
Furthermore, since corporate users will want to use their PDAs while ‘away from the
office’, the availability of wireless LANS in public places where business people
regularly convene, such as hotels and airports, could prove important. And, with
organizations such as the US-based airline focused ISP Tenzing Communications
(http://www.tenzing.com) already looking at providing such connectivity at US airports
(legal restrictions currently prevent such innovations in Europe), the day of the all-
pervasive PDA may be closer than we think.
Then, finally and perhaps most obviously, PDAs need to offer the functionality of a cell
phone to facilitate both internet connectivity and voice calls. Compaq are addressing this
in future versions of iPAQ, as attendees at PC XPO will have witnessed. But, in my
opinion, their design is unlikely to catch on. A PDA’s form factor is too big and bulky to
be easily accepted as a replacement for a cell phone. Nice idea though it is, holding a
PDA up to your face in order to make voice calls, will not become a widely adopted
practice. However, should a manufacturer adopt Bluetooth technology to introduce
headsets allowing wireless, face-free, hands-free calls, well then we’ll be in a position
where we can pack our cell-phones away. And if such a manufacturer also provides the
desktop focused ‘extras’ listed above, well then the future of the PC will truly be in their
hands.
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About the author:
Nicki Hayes is a freelance writer and corporate communications consultant specialising in business to business internet issues. She has contributed editorial to a number of publications including Unstrung.com, Guardian Online, Financial Times, Banking & Financial Training, eAI Journal and Secure Computing. Nicki is also the European correspondent for The Wireless Developer Network. Nicki is based in Dublin, Ireland and also has a base in Cambridge, UK. Through her consultancy, Hayes-Singh Associates, she has access to a number of technical writers and PR consultants throughout Ireland and the UK.
About the WirelessDevNet (www.wirelessdevnet.com):
The Wireless Developer Network is an on-line community for information technology
professionals interested in mobile computing and communications. Our mission is to assist
developers, strategists, and managers in bridging the gap between today's desktop and
enterprise applications and tomorrow's mobile users communicating via wireless networks.
We are interested in supporting the deployment of these evolving technologies through
high-quality technical information, news, industry coverage, and commentary. This
information is provided within a true on-line community that supports developer/vendor
dialogue through message boards and user-submitted tips, articles, links, and software
downloads.
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